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Integra DC2 Project

250K views 440 replies 89 participants last post by  st33ly 
#1 · (Edited)
So a few weeks ago I picked up this 1998 Honda Integra DC2. I've always wanted one but its taken me a long time to find one with the right combo of condition, mileage, spec and crucially as standard as possible.



This particular example is standard and has 70k miles on the clock, 2 owners and was owned for 16 years by a Honda technician. Now anyone who's even vaguely researched into these will know that rear inner arch corrosion is an inherent design flaw and this one is no different despite it being pampered all its life. Due to a drain slot in front of the rear wheel they have a tendency to rot the rear arches from the inside out. As you can see, despite there being no external corrosion the inside is fairly gruesome.

Drivers side:



And following a bit of prodding about :



Passenger side:





Fairly impressive considering there's no visible external corrosion..........

I knew this when looking at the car in the first place. Better to buy a car eyes wide open and do the work yourself or know it's been done properly previously than to buy and pretend it won't be an issue. They nearly all get this unless the drain slot is sealed up very early in its life.

So, it's booked in to have the rear arches, inner arches cut out and new sections welded in next month so in the meantime I thought I'd get busy with assessing the rest of the chassis. Having had an S2000 previously I was mildly terrified but thought it's better to know what we're dealing with.

So first up, bumper off:



Generally it was all good. A little surface crud around some of the fixings but the rear panel is completely solid. Good news as I've seen much newer S2000's with really rotten ones.

Inside the rear chassis rails. All sound. Will be putting Dynax UB in these at a later date.





Next up, front bumper off:



Same result, generally solid. A little crud around the rad mounts but generally OK.

So I set about refurbishing the front crash bar, rear bumper bar and bumper retaining strip. All received Bilt Hamber Hydrate followed finishing top coats of either Electrox, Championship White or metallic grey.



The front and rear slam panels were sanded back, all corrosion removed then treated with Hydrate.



This was followed by Bilt Hamber Epoxy Mastic. Provided a really durable finish and freshens it all up nicely.





Will be applying Dynax UC tomorrow and then Reassembly. Then it's on to sorting the underside before it goes in for the rear arches.

Will keep this thread updated with progress.
 
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#265 ·
#267 ·
#268 ·
A couple of small updates. Trying my hardest to just keep the car in one piece over the summer and enjoy it but still doing a few small jobs.

So you might have seen in previous pictures that the rear wiper arm, cap and callar were looking a little tired. As usual on these, after 20 years the plastic had faded and becoming discoloured and the wiper was just a bit tatty. In addition to that, the two plugs which secure the thrid brake light were looking a little tired also.

No before pics but here's the afters. Refurbed wiper arm and new collar and caps.

2018-07-13_01-10-46 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

2018-07-14_09-44-40 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

2018-07-14_09-44-18 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

Small jobs but it's a nice change.
 
#271 ·
Small update: So the car is going in on the 11th August to have the wheels refurbed. They'll be getting done NH-O Championship White as per OEM spec. that was the perfect excuse to jettison the frankly woeful T1-R tyres the car came fitted with in favour of something much more proper.

As most of you will know, the original RE010 tyres are no longer available and the general consensus seems to be that something with a stiff sidewall like the Ad08R's is the best replacement. Four of them waiting to go on following refurb.

2018-08-02_10-15-53 by PoobahUK, on Flickr
 
#272 ·
#273 ·
A few little bits of progress, so the car went in a few weeks ago to have the wheels sorted and the roof resprayed. The roof was the only panel that wasn't done last year so I wanted to get it all to the same standard.

All done and looking spot on.

IMG-20180905-WA0000 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

The wheels have been all the way back to bare metal and completely re-done. Super happy with them. Pics are from my bodyshop, MSM Vehicle Refinishers. Hopefully collect it at the weekend.

IMG-20180829-WA0001 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

IMG-20180829-WA0003 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

IMG-20180829-WA0002 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

IMG-20180905-WA0001 by PoobahUK, on Flickr
 
#278 ·
A few bits of progress. I've removed the rear interior again as I wasn't really happy with my first attempt at refurbishing the interior panels. So I've removed all the plastics and got them prepped back for a second attempt. I was going to just buy another set but they're now discontinued from Honda and all the secondhand ones available didn't seem to be in any better condition than the ones I already had!

Last time I tried Vinyl Cote which did give a nice OEM finish, but it simply sat on top of the plastic and hence scratched off really easily. This time I'm going with something I've used previously which I know is really durable. Decided to go with Wurth Plast PT Dye (somethig we've used at work). From my previous experience, this stuff really bonds to the plastic and if anything seems to absorb into the surface slightly.

Decided to do a test piece overnight to see how it works with the Honda plastics. Here's a 50/50 pic of it applied to only one side. This is also a single coat applied (you can overcoat it if you need to once its dried).

IMG_20181018_201528 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

Initial impressions are pretty positive but I'll report back once its dry and I can assess how well it's absorbed in.

Next up, the nearside rear light has always been slightly distorted on my car. I'm not sure if it was like this from the factory or if it happened later on but it's always bugged me cause it didn't fit the lines of the car particularly well. I've tried to capture the issue in the pics below.

IMG_20181017_172649 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

IMG_20181017_172654 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

I've been putting off buying a new one for a while as I've had bigger jobs on, but having checked the availability from Honda I found that the offside tailight had been discontinued but the nearside was still available. I figured the nearside light was probably only available cause of stock levels, rather than Honda actually still manufacturing it so figured now was the time to get it sorted before both sides were unavailable.

A quick email to Hendy and a couple of weeks later and this beauty arrived. Minty fresh.

IMG_20181017_151150 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

IMG_20181017_151159 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

And now fitted. A small improvement but it looks alot better in my eyes so very pleased.

IMG_20181017_174034 by PoobahUK, on Flickr
 
#282 ·
Been a while since I caught up with this. Always enjoyable to see a couple of updates when I do.

I have to say that I love what you're doing with this car - something I am really aspiring to with my own projects. Keep it up and keep enjoying it!

Plus, can't remember the last time I saw a 'Teg. I love them. I find that the older I get and the newer / more asinine new cars get, the more that the rarities at the 'purer' end of the spectrum like this appeal more than anything.
 
#284 ·
A little more progress last night. I managed to get the refurbishment of the interior panels all finished. Here's how they look now. I'm really happy with the improvement and would definitely recommend Wurth Plast PT for those wanting to do a similar job.

2018-10-23_07-09-44 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

2018-10-23_07-10-21 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

Here they are back in the car. I also shampoo'd the boot carpet whilst it was out. Really starting to look nice and tidy in there now. :thumb:

2018-10-23_07-07-51 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

2018-10-23_07-08-14 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

2018-10-23_07-08-33 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

2018-10-23_07-08-54 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

Next up, the car came fitted with a Sony headunit which has bugged me since I bought it. Recently I picked up an OEM Honda Bose headunit for it.

IMG_20181022_115219 by PoobahUK, on Flickr

Popped it in and very happy with the total OEM look of it. Very pleasing. :spin:

2018-10-23_07-07-21 by PoobahUK, on Flickr
 
#289 ·
Yeah, you have to clean the surface back and then use the rough side to key it up and then apply the die with a sponge. Not too thick as it needs to absorb in to some degree. You can overcoat it once it's dry. I did two applications on mine.

In terms of quantity, one tube did all of my interior plastics rear of the doors.

Oh and do it in a nice dry and warm environment.
 
#293 ·
To be honest, it's not really a car for stereos anyway. With the lack of sound deadening etc as standard, the chances of hearing it are pretty slim. Even with the old stereo I can safely say I never used it, so the actual operation of the radio is somewhat secondary to it looking 'of the era'. :)
 
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